Who Knew a Paper Cut Could Be So Vicious
by Ginger S
Summary: A simple paper cut can lead to trouble for Johnny.


Who Knew a Paper Cut Could Be So Vicious

By GCS

_**DISCLAIMER: "Emergency!" and its characters © Mark VII Productions, Inc. and Universal Studios. All rights reserved. No infringement of any copyrights or trademarks is intended or should be inferred. This is a work of fiction. This story is only written for entertainment. No financial gain is being realized from it. The story, itself, is the property of the author.**_

The Squad backed into the empty bay. The Engine was out on a run. The two tired Paramedics climbed out and stopped, sniffing the air. They could smell the aroma coming from the kitchen. It lured them eagerly toward the oven where their lunch plates were keeping warm. Reaching up to pull the door open Roy smiled at his partner. "Smells like Mike's chicken."

Johnny's eyes twinkled with excitement. "Man it smells great! And I'm starving." He licked his lips in anticipation.

Roy pulled open the oven door and grabbed the dish towel from the counter to pick up the two plates at the same time and bring them to the table. He turned with the two plates in mid air and looked at the speaker on the wall willing it to remain silent.

Johnny placed two glasses and the milk carton on the table along with forks and napkins. He sniffed the bouquet of deliciousness wafting from the chicken, potatoes, and green beans piled high atop the two white plates. "Man oh man Roy that is the best smelling plate of food I've ever smelled."

"Sit down Junior. You say that every time you're hungry."

"I do not." Johnny pouted.

"Do too." Roy smiled. "Here." He put one plate in front of Johnny and sat down with the other in front of himself. "We better hurry before…"

"DON'T!" Johnny put his hand in the air in front of Roy's face. "Don't even think it! If you do then…" Panic shown in his eyes.

And then came the tones.

"Aw man! You just had to!" Johnny glared at his partner.

Both men slid their chairs back from the table. Johnny grabbed a chicken leg and ran for the passenger side of the Squad. Roy acknowledged the call with his own chicken leg in one hand and the radio speaker in the other before climbing in behind the wheel. He grabbed his helmet and one handed pulled it tight as he snagged a bite of chicken. They knew the one piece of epicurean delight might have to tide them over until dinner. If they were lucky Mike would wrap their lunch up for a late night snack. Johnny especially couldn't afford to miss a meal. His metabolism was always in high gear burning off everything he took in. If he missed too many meals he would crash.

"twun wight"

"What?" Roy glared at Johnny who smiled as he chewed most of his chicken leg all at once while trying to give directions. Instead of trying to speak around the meat he pointed the mostly empty bone in the direction he needed Roy to go. "OH…right?" Johnny nodded and Roy flipped on the right turn signal. Then he snagged another bite of his own chicken. They arrived at the scene in a few minutes and two bare bones were left on the floor of the Squad until they could throw them away.

Both men trotted around to the equipment bay and flung the doors open. Before pulling out the needed items for a woman down call Roy opened the drug box and pulled out two alcohol wipes. They quickly cleaned the chicken from their hands. Used wipes joined the bare bones and the two rescuers ran to the front door of the house ready to take on whatever emergency awaited them on the other side.

"Fire Department!" Johnny yelled as he alternated knocking on the door and pressing the doorbell. He glanced over his shoulder at Roy. "Think we should go around back?"

Roy nodded his agreement and stepped off the porch just as a very small girl tugged the heavy door open.

"Hello little lady, is your mother home?" Johnny bent down to the little girl's level. The pretty dark haired girl stood partly behind the open door. She sucked on her finger and nodded to Johnny. "Is she sick?"

"Uh huh." She mumbled around her finger, turned and looked over her shoulder…probably at her mother.

"Did you call for help?"

"Uh Uh" She turned her head from side to side.

"Can we come in and check on her?" Johnny knew they needed to get inside to check on the woman, but they didn't want to scare the little dark headed, brown eyed girl.

"Uh huh." She backed away from the door and disappeared.

Johnny and Roy entered slowly. Once inside they could see the little girl sitting on the floor beside her mother who appeared to be unconscious.

As they got closer to the prone woman they could see the blood on the floor behind her head. They realized that she must have called before passing out. The phone was still clutched in her hand. "Ma'am can you hear me? Roy, you had better call the police. We're going to need to try to find the father." Johnny shifted his eyes toward the little girl.

Roy quickly set up the bio-phone and radioed in to Rampart. "Rampart, this is Squad 51-how do you read?" Then while waiting for response from Rampart, he pulled his handi-talkie out and radioed dispatch to send the police to their location.

"Squad 51, we read you loud and clear." Dixie McCall's melodious voice answered them.

"Rampart, we have a female approximately 26 with a bleeding head injury. Hold for vitals." Roy looked to Johnny for the information.

Johnny looked up still counting with the stethoscope in his ears. "Uh…pulse is rapid and weak…uh 130, BP is 90 over 55, respirations are 12. She is unresponsive to pain. I've applied a pressure bandage to the back of her head. It looks like she hit the table when she fell." He looked around the room and back to the end table. "I…I don't know what made her fall. Maybe there's something else going on." He rubbed his hand across his forehead and bent over the woman again. He pulled out his pen light and flashed it in her eyes. "Pupils are sluggish at best." He sat back on his heels and looked at Roy for a second to see if he had any ideas.

Understanding Johnny's unspoken question, Roy nodded his head from side to side as he repeated all of the information to Dixie and Dr. Brackett who had joined her at the base station. "51 administer IV normal Saline. We need to find out what made her fall before we give anything else. It could be a diabetic episode. Let's get a blood sample so we can get it to the lab." Roy slid the headset back into the case and grabbed the IV set-up from the drug box. Johnny was already getting ready to get the blood sample. He put the end of the alcohol wipe wrapper in his mouth and pulled to rip it. The thin coated wrapper edge slid through his fingers leaving behind a stinging paper cut that drew a trickle of blood he quickly wiped on his pant leg. He finished taking the blood sample and tucked it into his shirt pocket.

The little girl had slid closer to Johnny. She sat on her knees and leaned against his side as he worked, whimpering. Roy smiled at his partner. That Gage charm worked with females of all ages. The little girl had instantly felt comfortable with Johnny. "Hey sweetie, your mommy is going to be okay. She just hit her head. We're takin' care of her." Johnny reached over, wrapped his arm around the whimpering child and pulled her closer.

"LAPD" Vince called from the door as he entered the home.

"Hey Vince." Roy greeted the officer.

"Hey fellas, what've you got?" Vince waved to the two paramedics.

"Woman down, head injury, we need to find the father of this sweet little girl." Johnny explained as he snuggled the frightened child. Turning to the girl he asked, "Where's your daddy?"

Scared chocolate brown eyes looked up into bigger brown orbs and the little girl shrugged her shoulders.

"You don't know where your daddy is? Is he at work?" The child buried her face against Johnny's leg. "It's all right sweetheart, we'll figure it out." He stroked the back of her long dark hair as he looked up at Vince and raised an eyebrow.

Vince glanced around the room. "I'll look around a bit and see if I can find anything."

"Can you check on the ambulance for us?" Roy asked as he gathered the trash from the IV and tucked it into the drug box to throw away later.

"Sure." Vince lifted his radio and requested an update on the ambulance. They all heard the five minute ETA response before Vince disappeared into the kitchen.

Roy set about getting a new set of vitals. Johnny stared down at the little girl who still had her face buried against his leg. His hand rested on the back of her head. Roy saw something in his partner's eyes that he'd rarely seen before. The usually happy eyes were filled with a cloud of sadness. "Hey partner…can you get another BP?"

"Huh? Oh yeah…sure." Johnny pumped up the cuff that was still in place around the young woman's arm.

Vince came back into the room with the woman's purse. Her wallet in his hands was open. "It looks like she's a single parent. There's an emergency contact card for her parents in Seattle. We can give them a call once we get to Rampart. The kid can ride with me."

The little girl shot up and latched her arms around Johnny's waist. "NO!" She wailed. "I want to go with you. I want my mommy!"

Johnny wrapped both arms around the panicked child and hugged her tightly. He looked up to Vince who nodded his understanding. "Hey…it's okay. You can go with me and your mom in the ambulance."

Roy picked up the bio-phone headset and relayed the new vitals. "Ambulance has just arrived, Rampart. We will be transporting a distraught child along with the patient."

"51 repeat last transmission."

"Repeat, we will be transporting a distraught child along with the patient. There is no one to look after the child. Patient is a single mother." Roy lowered the receiver to rest on his leg and awaited approval from the hospital.

"10-4 51, we'll be waiting."

"Ambulance is here." Roy stood and walked over to the door. "In here!" He led the ambulance team inside. "Be careful, she has a head injury." Johnny had already bandaged the woman's head and secured a c-collar. The limp woman was lifted carefully and placed on the waiting gurney.

Once she was strapped in place Vince helped Roy with the supplies while Johnny looked for the little girl's shoes. He sat her on the couch and slid her feet into her tennis shoes. "Okay sweetie, let's get your mom to the hospital okay?" She nodded never taking her finger out of her mouth. He scooped the girl up into his arms and hurried to the ambulance. Vince locked up the house. The group of emergency vehicles pulled away from the curb and raced down the street.

Upon arriving at the hospital the ambulance swiftly backed into the bay. The doors flew open and Johnny stepped down from the back with the pretty little girl on his hip. She still had her finger in her mouth and looked very afraid. Johnny too had his finger in his mouth. Paper cuts were known to sting like crazy and this one was no different. The attendants pulled the gurney down and popped the wheels into place before proceeding through the automatic doors with the girl's mother. Johnny followed the gurney until it turned into treatment room 4. He continued over to the nurse's desk with his new little frightened friend. "Hey Dix, do you think you could look out for my friend? We just brought her mom in."

Dixie looked up at the handsome paramedic, "I'd be glad too, Johnny." She reached her arms out to take the girl who hid her face in Johnny's neck.

"Hey, sh sh. This is Dixie; she's a good friend of mine. I bet she will take you down to the cafeteria for some chocolate milk." He smiled at the girl and winked at Dixie. "I need to go check on your mom." The girl allowed Johnny to hand her over to Dixie. He stood in the hall watching as Dixie took her toward the cafeteria. As soon as they disappeared from sight, Johnny went into the treatment room to give his report to Dr. Brackett.

Roy backed the squad in beside the ambulance. He loaded the bio-phone that the attendants had left on the back of the ambulance for him and cleaned the remains of their snack from the floorboard. Then he grabbed the drug box and proceeded through the automatic doors. Glancing down the hall for his partner and not seeing him he went over to the nurse's desk to restock. A few minutes later Johnny emerged from the treatment room with his finger in his mouth. "What happened to you?" Roy asked as he reached for Johnny's arm.

Johnny pulled away, "It's just a paper cut, Roy. I don't need stitches or a tetanus shot! Sheesh."

"Maybe not, but you should let me put some antibiotic cream on it and a bandage." Roy turned back to the drug box and started pulling out the cream.

"I don't need that. It's not even bleeding anymore."

"Bleeding?" Roy asked concerned.

"I told you Roy, it isn't bleeding anymore. It's just a paper cut." He pushed past and grabbed a coffee cup, filling it and turning back to his partner with the cup at his lips, sipping with an 'I told you so' look on his face.

Roy raised his hands in surrender.

"Who's bleeding?" Dr. Brackett asked as he walked up behind Roy. Roy pointed at his partner with his half empty coffee cup. "What happened, Johnny?"

Johnny glared at Roy. "Nothin' Doc, just a simple paper cut."

Dr. Brackett chuckled, "Johnny, nothing is simple with you. If you have any trouble with it…"

"I know…I know." Johnny sat his cup down on the counter. "I'll be in the squad." He walked away.

"Boy he sure is sensitive." Dr. Brackett and Roy both laughed.

"How's the woman?" Roy asked as he closed up the drug box. Dr. Brackett signed off on his supplies.

"She'll be fine. It turns out our suspicions were correct. She's a diabetic. Other than getting her sugar regulated, we're doing a full skull series to make sure that bump on her head isn't causing any other problems. I'll put in a few stitches as soon as x-ray is finished." Dr. Brackett poured himself some coffee. "Johnny said that Dix took the girl for chocolate milk. We'll get in touch with her family. Until then we'll send her up to pediatrics to be watched. They have enough toys up there to keep her busy for a while."

"Thanks Doc." Roy grabbed the drug box. "I guess I'd better catch up with Johnny." When he turned to leave he caught sight of Johnny near the exit waving the HT. They had another call. Roy hurried down the hall and out the doors stowing the drug box in the compartment before jogging around to the driver's side and climbing in. "What've we got?"

"Possible drowning…it's a kid. Let's go." Johnny slipped his helmet into place. Roy did the same with one hand as he started the engine with the other.

They arrived at the scene to find a group of distraught parents standing on the side of a drainage ditch; several damp teens were seated and covered with blankets. "Please you have to find him." One of women cried into her husband's shoulder. "He's our only child. Please!" She sobbed.

Johnny raised the HT to his mouth and called for back-up, "LA respond Engine 51 to assist Squad 51."

Roy had ducked around to the other side of the squad and was in the process of pulling out the safety belts and ropes. "Johnny, we need to wait on the Engine before we go in." Johnny looked up at Roy and nodded his agreement. Roy watched him as his eyes wandered toward the ditch and he let out a long sigh. "We'll find him Junior."

"Yeah, but will it be in time?" Johnny flashed sad eyes in his direction, turned and walked along the edge of the rushing water trying to see any indication of the missing teen. He could hear the siren in the distance. "Hurry up Mike." He spoke aloud. "We may not have a lot of time."

Roy was in the process of explaining to the group of parents and teens that he and Johnny would go in after the boy when the Engine pulled up.

"What have you got Roy?" Captain Stanley asked as he walked up to the group. His eyes were on Johnny who was still looking along the bank. There was a lot of tall grass and brush. Johnny's height helped him maneuver over it, but the slump of his shoulders and the frown on his face let Hank know the situation was not good.

Roy stepped away from the family. Captain Stanley followed him knowing that Roy didn't want to talk in front of them. "Got a missing boy, Cap; he's been out there for at least an hour already. I don't know what we'll find, but…" He shrugged.

Captain Stanley gripped Roy's shoulder and turned to Mike. He motioned with his hand where he wanted Big Red. Mike pulled forward to the spot. Chet and Marco jumped down and started securing the ropes to the rig. They had been on too many of these types of rescues not to know what to do. No directions from Captain Stanley were needed. Johnny had rejoined the group. His eyes met Roy's and he nodded. He hadn't seen anything to lead them to the boy. They both secured ropes to their life belts and turned to the ditch.

"Be careful." Cap called out to them. Johnny waved their understanding. Chet and Marco set up the gear from the squad for when they found the boy. They hoped they would need it. Chet got Rampart on the line to bring them up to speed on the rescue. They would be standing by. Mike stayed by Big Red to keep an eye on the ropes. Captain Stanley went over to keep the families calm.

As soon as they stepped into the rushing water Roy and Johnny knew finding the boy alive was a long shot, but they had to try. The water was cold and moving swiftly almost to the point of sweeping their feet from beneath them. Years of experience and specialized training were the only things that kept them from losing their footing. Roy took one side of the ditch while Johnny took the other. They were looking in the brush along the bank hoping for a miracle. Water rushed around their legs and swirled beneath the overhanging limbs. Roy looked down stream and found a shivering young man clinging to a down tree up ahead. Luck was on their side that day. "Johnny!" He pointed to the boy. Johnny half waded and half swam across and together he and Roy were able to get the life belt around the boy. They slowly made their way back to the others. The shivering teenager's mother ran over to him as he was helped onto the bank. She wrapped her arms around him and began planting kisses on his head. "Ma'am, please, we need to take care of him now."

"No he's all right. He's safe now. I can take care of him. He's my baby." She sobbed. The teen's knees buckled. Roy caught him around the waist and prevented him from falling to the ground. He wrapped the boy's arm across his shoulder and took him over to the yellow blanket Mike Stoker had spread out on the ground beside the squad. Marco took the life belts and started gathering the ropes. Captain Stanley had pulled out the oxygen and waited for Roy to deposit the exhausted teen on the blanket before gently placing the mask over his face.

"No ma'am. He's hypothermic and may have ingested some of that dirty water. We need to get him warmed up and over to Rampart to be seen by a doctor." Johnny explained to the woman as he took her by the shoulders and handed her off to her husband.

"Come on honey; let these men take care of him. They're right. He needs to see a doctor. We need to know that he's okay." The man pulled his wife into his arms and held her there. She continued to cry, but now her tears were tears of joy.

Johnny and Roy followed Rampart's instructions and had the boy packaged and ready for transport by the time the ambulance had arrived. Captain Stanley insisted that both of them ride in the ambulance with the boy and get checked out at Rampart as well. Drainage ditches had dirty water filled with who knows what kind of bacteria. He wanted to be sure that neither of his men suffered any ill effects from their dip. He knew from experience that Johnny was prone to pneumonia. Roy not so much, but a Captain could never be too careful.

Changed out of their wet clothes and now dressed in green scrubs Johnny and Roy were standing by the nurse's station sipping coffee when Dr. Early came out of the treatment room. "Looks like that kid got lucky today." He remarked as he poured himself some coffee. "You two get checked out?"

"Dr. Morton says we'll live." Roy stood up very straight and stated matter of factly.

"So he's going to be okay?" Johnny asked as he absently rubbed his sore finger on the side of his leg.

"We'll keep him overnight to be sure, but I think he will be. He's still a little on the cold side, but warm blankets seem to be helping a lot." Joe smiled. "That and the fact that his mother won't take her arms off of him," He chuckled. Johnny and Roy laughed too.

"If it isn't the 'Jolly Green Giants'." Chet joked as he walked up behind Johnny and Roy. Johnny rolled his eyes and took one last drink of the hot liquid in his cup.

"Come on Roy. Let's get this 'Munchkin' back to the barn before he starts skipping down The Yellow Brick Road." Johnny teased. Roy finished his own coffee, grabbed the bag with their wet clothes and followed the other two down the hall smiling and shaking his head at their antics. "See ya later Doc."

"What's so funny?" Dixie asked as she joined Joe at her desk.

"Just Chet and Johnny's usual." He sipped his coffee. She smiled and opened the chart she had in her hands.

Once back at the station Roy and Johnny changed back into their uniforms and joined the others around the table. Mike slid two plates of warmed chicken in front of the two men. Johnny's eyes lit up with glee as he grabbed a piece and took a big bite. Next Mike poured two glasses of milk and slid them across the table. "Dinner's gonna be a little late." He smiled knowingly at the two hungry men before refilling Johnny's already half empty glass. He returned the milk to the fridge and started chopping onions and peppers for his famous spaghetti.

Johnny licked his fingers. "Man that's good chicken. I didn't realize how hungry I was."

Everyone cracked up laughing at that comment.

"Sure ya didn't Gage." Chet shook his head and smiled.

"What?" Johnny asked incredulously. "Can't a guy be hungry once in a while?" He looked at Roy who shrugged but didn't stop eating. They both knew the tones could go off any second, and they would still be hungry.

"More milk Roy?" Marco asked as he refilled Johnny's empty glass.

"No thanks Marco, I'm good." He said as he took another drink of his still half full glass.

True to form the tones sounded calling the squad to an unknown type rescue. Roy was first out of his chair. Johnny finished his last piece of chicken and licked his fingers before running for the squad. He grabbed the shiny silver rail on top of the squad bays, hopped around the back bumper and skidded up to the passenger side door. He wiped his hands on his pants as he slid into his seat, reached for the call slip Captain Stanley had passed through the window to Roy and the two paramedics were rolling again.

A few blocks down the road the call was canceled. Johnny would normally have a lot to say about a run that was canceled, but after the busy day they'd had and the late lunch they had just eaten he was feeling a bit tired. He audibly sighed and leaned his chin into the hand he had propped on his knee and looked out the window.

"You okay?" Roy asked as he turned around to head back to the station.

"Yeah, just a little tired after that water rescue."

"Water can do that to ya." Roy agreed. He backed into the station.

"I think I'll take a nap." Johnny said softly as he climbed out of the squad and walked slowly across the bay.

"Is he okay?" Cap asked from where he leaned against his office door drinking coffee.

"I think he's just a little tired from that water rescue. I'm a little tired too." Roy rubbed his hand on his chest.

"Why don't you take a nap too?" Cap suggested.

"Nah, sometimes that just makes it worse. I think a hot cup of coffee will do the trick." He turned and headed for the kitchen.

Johnny was awakened about an hour later by Chet. "Come on Gage! Cap says we gotta get the hose hung before dinner. Wake up would ya!"

Johnny swatted at Chet's had as he shook his friend. "Stop it Chet! Can't a guy take a little nap around here? How'd you get out of latrine duty anyway?"

"Man you've been napping for over an hour. Come on...I want to get this over with." He whined. "Besides I don't always have latrine duty. You know Cap's rule. The last man here gets the latrine. Marco was last."

"Then go hang them yourself." Johnny shot back at him as he struggled to sit up. He swung his long legs over the side of his bunk and slid his feet into his boots tying them quickly. Then he stood, stretched and headed to the latrine.

"Hurry up man." Chet chided him.

"Okay, okay gimme a second would ya?"

"I'll meet you out back." Chet ducked out of the dorm.

Johnny looked in the mirror as he washed his hands. He had circles under his eyes. His hair was mussed up. He looked beat. He slashed water on his face and tried smoothing his hair into place with his fingers. It didn't feel like he'd been asleep for over an hour. _'I hate water rescues.' _

When he got out back of the station Chet already had several hoses laid out and had started scrubbing them. "Grab that brush over there and let's get this done already."

Johnny glared at Chet for a second before getting a brush. "Keep your suspenders on 'Little Sprout'. If you behave yourself I'll see if the Keebler Elves need any help baking cookies over at the tree when we're finished." He chuckled at his own joke, dipped his scrub brush in the soapy water and started scrubbing. The water stung his paper cut. He stopped and shook his hand to get the excess water off. _'Man, that stings, I'll have to remember to dip with the other hand.'_

Fortunately, they didn't have that many hose to clean before they started hanging. Johnny still felt a little groggy. He decided it was from his nap getting cut short, so he suggested he send the hoses up to Chet. "There isn't as much distance between me and the top of the tower as it is with you. If I stay down here we'll get done quicker." He reasoned with Chet.

Chet thought it was a bit odd that Johnny didn't want to go up top like he usually did, but he wanted to get the job done in time to see the news, so he didn't argue.

Roy watched the interchange from the bay door. He too thought it odd that Johnny chose to stay on the ground. _'What's going on with you Johnny?'_

Just as the last hose was hung in place the station was called out to a warehouse fire. The men all dashed to their vehicles. Mike turned off the spaghetti, it was ready anyway. He returned the butter to the fridge. He would have to make the garlic toast when they got back.

The engine and the squad raced from the bay and into the street like a well rehearsed dance with sirens blaring and lights flashing. In less than five minutes they were pulling up at the scene. Hoses were yanked from the bed while the feeder hoses were connected to the hydrants. Johnny and Roy met with Cap. "The foreman says there is a security guard still unaccounted for. He was last reported on the east side of the building near the offices. Make it fast."

Both men acknowledged their Captain and jogged toward the smoky entrance.

"Kelly and Lopez keep that entrance clear." Hank pointed his linemen toward the entrance Johnny and Roy had just disappeared into.

Once inside the two rescue men got their bearings and hurried toward the east side of the structure in search of the guard. Visibility was low. The fire was hot. They could feel the sweat building up inside their turnouts. They would need to hurry if they wanted to find anyone alive.

Knowing time was short they decided to separate. Roy took the offices on the right and Johnny the left. Each time they checked an office they put a mark on the door to signify the office was clear and moved on to the next office. It was a large warehouse with several offices, but the two paramedics moved fast.

Johnny opened the door to the last office on his side and hunkered low. The thick smoke hovered near the ceiling. He hoped to get below it in order to see better. "Hey, anyone in here." He moved around the desk and looked beneath. There on the floor between the desk and the rolling chair lay the missing guard.

Johnny jerked the chair out of the way and slid the large man out. He sat the man against the desk and stood pulling his victim to his feet as he rose up. Then in a swift move he had the guard in a fireman's carry. In the hall he called out to his partner. "Roy!"

Roy had been in the file room which had many rows of cabinets. Thinking he heard Johnny yell, he looked out into the hall.

"Let's get out of here!" Johnny turned toward the direction they had come. Roy followed closely behind. They knew when they got closer to the exit when they could feel the spray from Chet and Marco's hose wash over them. The smoke was so thick now they couldn't see much.  
They moved past their shift mates who followed them out of the building.

Roy helped Johnny ease the victim down onto the yellow blanket Mike had ready for them. Both paramedics pulled their SCBA masks off. Johnny dropped to his knees. He suddenly felt woozy. _'Guess that guy was heavier than I thought.' _He pulled his arms out of his SCBA and dropped it in the grass. Pulling each finger from one of his gloves he squeezed his eyes shut. The blanket and grass had started a slow rotation in front of his eyes that was making him nauseous.

"Johnny, can you get the BP?" Roy was already on the bio-phone calling it in to Rampart.

Johnny squinted at his partner and reached for the cuff.

"Mike! I need some help over here!" Roy called to the engineer. "Rampart we have another victim, a code I, paramedic down." Johnny had passed out.

"What happened?" Mike asked as he carefully turned Johnny over and slid the oxygen mask on his face.

"I don't know. He carried the victim out. It was really hot in there, probably heat exhaustion. Can you get some vitals?" he asked as he pumped up the BP cuff on the guard. "Get that coat off 'im."

Captain Stanley chose that moment to come over to check on the victim. He saw his youngest crew member on the ground. "What the heck happened?" He asked as he assisted Mike in getting Johnny's turnout coat off.

"Probably the heat, Cap." Roy shook his head. "He was fine one minute and down the next."

With an unusual amount of difficulty, Captain Stanley pulled Johnny's other glove off. "Roy look at this." He held Johnny's hand up; it was swollen and red.

He could hear muffled noises…a quiet swoosh, a dripping noise, a soft snore.

Slowly opening his eyes he knew he was at Rampart…again.

The room was dark except for the soft lamp above the bed that shown up on the ceiling. He looked up the thin silver pole to the IV bag hanging over his head…reached up to scratch his nose where the nasal cannula made it itch. _'What the heck happened? The last thing I remember was carrying that guard out.'_ His eyes wandered over to the shadowy figure in the chair. He knew it was Roy with his feet propped on the end of the bed, his hands crossed in his lap and his chin resting on his chest. "Roy?"

Roy woke up with a huge yawn. "Hey Junior." He took his feet down and leaned over to check on his friend. He placed his hand on Johnny's forehead like he would his son's to check for fever. He was still a little warm.

Johnny reached up to brush Roy's hand off and noticed his hand bandaged. He stared at it with his brow wrinkled. He vaguely remembered a paper cut, but nothing else. "What?" He looked over at Roy?"

"Don't you remember?"

"No."

"You should have let me put some antibiotic cream on it."

"You don't mean?" Johnny's eyes grew wide and his mouth hung open.

"It got infected." Roy nodded. He smiled. "But Doc Brackett says you will make a complete recovery."

"From a paper cut?"

"From a paper cut." Roy calmly stated.

"I never heard of such a thing." Johnny laid his hand back down on his chest. It was throbbing now from the movement. "Aw man…Chet will never let me hear the end of this."

"Relax, you had us all pretty worried. I don't think he'll use this against you." Roy leaned back in the chair and put his feet back up. "Go back to sleep, Junior, I'll be here when you wake up."

"Who knew?" Johnny whispered as his eyes began to droop again. He felt tired, hot and achy like he had the flu.

"Who knew what?" Roy asked through a yawn.

"Who knew a paper cut could be so vicious."


End file.
